Viewing entries tagged
drinks

Magnolia House - Pasadena

June 27, 2016

When people say Pasadena, the first thing I really think of is Old Town. It's until recently the past few years that people are starting to reach their endeavors elsewhere. The Paseo has really become that place along with the few around Colorado and El Molino. But to go even further, you now have Lake Ave booming with new restaurants and concepts. From Sunlife's Acai Bowls, to Sugar Fish by Chef Nozawa, you have classic old school fine dining like Smitty's and not so long ago Del Friscos that just made it's way on Lake about a year ago.

With that said, there's Magnolia House. It's tucked away on the corner of Lake and California. It's a great hang out spot for the local workaholics to get away after a dysfunctional 8-5. Trust me, I know a few.

Magnolia House launched a few cocktails that will sure help you escape the monotonous cycle of the case we call Monday's. But I like to just accept the fact that I will use any excuse to grab a drink.

I'm not a cocktail person, but I will honestly say I enjoyed each and every one of these sippers. I've been drinking old fashions pretty consistently lately as my beverage of choice. I would easily pick any one of these, especially a hot humid day like the ones we've been facing in LA.

These finger licking wings are available for Happy Hour. For $6, you get 3 pieces, fried and doused in Korean sweet and spicy sauce with a side of pickled chili cucumbers.

Beer Cheese sauce with vegetarian toppings. Vegetarians are safe as this contains no meat.

Local yellowtail, yuzu vinaigrette, Pickled red onions and micro shiso. Would love more citrus kick from the yuzu, but the portions of the yellowtail were generous and lump-sum. On the Happy Hour for $9, you get 3. Loved these bites.

The sweet onions are, obviously, caramelized and mixed with smoked gouda. Fried and served with a dipping sauce of greed goddess. Sounds pretty amazeballs to me. Happy Hour, $5 you get 3.

You can always find fresh oysters here as well. 6 for $16 (not on Happy Hour) served with mignonette, horseradish, and cocktail sauce. Get your afrodisiac on. It's always a great topic for conversation. Haha..

I say yes to everything pork belly. Don't even ask me. They use a heritage duroc pork served with cherry puree, pickled lady apple, frisee, and french breakfast radish. The pork was briny from the cure, but that fat is just melt in your mouth stuck in the back of your neck goodness. Paired nicely with the cherry puree, apples, radishes, frisee, basically everything to cut down the richness of the fat.

The brussells sprouts are cooked down with smoked bacon and tossed with a cilantro pistachio pesto. Topped off with a fried egg with Pecorino shavings. All vegetables need to be eaten this way.

Yup, you should plan your next happy hour accordingly. Remember to invite me when you do. Every excuse to drink remember? Happy grubs!

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Claudine - Encino

June 15, 2016

A little bio on Claudine,

"Claudine Artisan Kitchen & Bakeshop is the collaborative effort of Chef Anthony Jacquet and Pastry Chef Lea Newton, whose combined skills and culinary passions have led to the opening of a globally-influenced neighborhood café and bakeshop in the San Fernando Valley. Named after Jacquet’s late sister, the driving force behind his decision to become a chef, Claudine Artisan Kitchen & Bakeshop is a full service restaurant, bakeshop, coffee bar, and grab n’ go deli. Serving only the highest quality food made with local and sustainable ingredients, Claudine Artisan Kitchen & Bakeshop features an assortment of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.Highlighting the bounty of local and seasonal produce in California, the restaurant’s menu draws inspiration from the many cultures and people who have shaped the city."

16350 Ventura Blvd., Suite F, Encino, CA 91436

Located on Ventura Blvd in Encino is where you will find Claudine. From the outside, it blends it with the neighborhood Chipotle which sits in the same center. But walking inside, the expectations are blown away by how adorable this place is. Open kitchen with tons of baked goods ready for you to hover over. Everything is made fresh daily, so if you see low inventory, that's a good sign.

Claudine also serves wine and beer which is always a plus. I started with a Stone IPA. They also carried a few specialty cocktails like sangrias and micheladas.

We had a few dishes to sample, all delicious. They make their own house cured lox on toast. The salmon was not overly salty served on top of some preserved Lemon Cream Cheese, Pickled Shallots, Cucumber and Capers. Their Briana's Short Rib Grilled Cheese is also a must order. Stuffed with Stout Braised Onions, Roasted Mushrooms, ‘Merican Cheese, Black Vinegar Teriyaki, and russet wedges. Get your napkins ready.

They also make their own naan pizzas. We've tried 2 and fell in love instantly. Cianna's Naan-Zza: pesto, buratta, bacon, mushrooms and asparagus. Serrano Ham and Olive Naan-Zza: fresno chile, buratta cheese and oregano. The Lea's Lightened Quiche was a winner all around. Custard made with spinach, basil, and only one egg with salad greens (SO GOOD).

If you are not sure what to do about your life, order the Malted Milk Pancakes. Cinnamon-Blueberry compote, salted honey butter, Warm Maple Syrup and Bacon. Sandwich this baby together and eat it with pride. Lot's of it.

16350 Ventura Blvd., Suite F, Encino, CA 91436

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The Factory Kitchen - DTLA

June 6, 2016

If you think you know DTLA, there's still a lot of little nooks and cranny for you to go through. Seems like every time you find a new restaurant, you end up discovering 5 more. It just never stops. The Factory Kitchen is one of those restaurants you kind of have to be in the know to hear about it. Luckily, this place was passed along through word of mouth, and I was fortunate to try out a few of their signature cocktails paired with a few of their tasty bites.

A few cocktails

All the cocktails had were delicious and friendly to drink. There wasn't one that I wasn't able to consume. Nothing was overly sweet and can always be adjusted if you are sensitive. Love the spicy Mezcaline.

This thing right here was pretty freaking awesome. Besides the parma prosciutto being amazing and aged for 24 months, it's served on top of a lightly fried sage dough with stracciatella cheese on top. The stracciatella cheese would remind me of a consistency like Burrata cheese, but like shreds, hence the name. Amazing quality to make this one of my favorites on the menu.

They also have a few selections of amazing Focaccina Calda Di Recco Al Formaggio. Thin dough with crescenza cheese that brings a lovely salty and briny finish. Loved all the renditions from san marzano tomatoes, capers, anchovies, oregano to foraged mushrooms, zucchini blossoms, ligurian olive oil and parsley. Crispy to eat. Makes you feel great without the guilt.

For dessert, we shared an order of bigne.

Definitely worth a shot to come by if you are looking for a destination in DTLA. Seating's were forgivable, but can be packed so get ready to wait if you don't have reservations. This just might be the birthday destination for me. Just might.

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Biergarten - Korea Town - Los Angeles

March 22, 2016

Korea Town has really come a long way. Really? No, not really. They've been the same and true to keeping it real. There's still an authentic feel to this neighborhood with fantastic Korean restaurants. If you think of Little Tokyo, true fans will tell you Torrance is the place to be at for amazing Japanese food. And if you are thinking about Chinatown in Los Angeles, the people that really know will tell you Alhambra/Monterey Park/SGV is the place to be.

206 N Western Ave.,Los Angeles, CA 90004

Biergarten is a Korean Gastropub located on Western Avenue. I've never heard of a Korean Gastropub before, but I know Korean food and I know Gastropub. Put the 2 together, and you get I-AM-NOT-LEAVING-THIS-PLACE.

Um yeah, this was pretty much the 1st thing I did when I got here.

Soju... it's my kryptonite... or just one of them that I am willing to accept. These were flavored from peach, to grape, to lemon, to pomegranate. How does it taste? Easy. Which makes them ridiculously dangerous. I'm not going to like, I had to wake up at 5AM the next day to drop off John at LAX and it was not a good morning.

Before you drop your jaw, let me tell you what these are. Tempura fries, kalbi, melted white cheddar with beer ass gravy... oh and some green onions because we all need some color to make ourselves feel better. Using a fork is only necessary because you want to make sure you can grab a huge portion for yourself before passing it down. But, who the hell made the take one pass it down rule anyway? And why is sharing caring? Trust me, there are a lot of things you don't want to share with me.

Ok this was pretty much amazing. A 7.5 oz of chuck meat with roasted cherry tomatoes, onion marmalade and arugula. It sounds incredibly simple, but it was bursting with flavor. The meat had a beautiful crust to it. The brioche also stood up to the challenge as it kept composed through my many chomps. And you know I can put on a mean chomp. Delicious, I highly recommend ordering their burgers (kind of want one right now).

To me, fried rice is comfort food. Not because I am Chinese, okay, but because I love eating foods with a giant spoon. Especially when I am at home watching TV. I am the worst comfort eater. I will go all out. The worst looking PJ's you can think of, hair tied back, and hot sauce everything. This brings me back to that, but when there is kimchi involved, all bets are off. And a fried egg with a runny yolk? WHY SHARE THIS? We all know there is one yolk. And there is no way I am going to "share" that with you. #justsayin395829058092

These were really delicious. Like, extremely tasty. The daikon reminds me of the chinese daikon cake. These are spicy and packed with flavor as it is made with pickled daikon and gochujang aioli. I'm still thinking about this now, no lies. Highly recommended.

More soju game going here. They are delicious and dangerously easy to drink. So with any precautions to drinking, you've been warned.

But don't be scared. Because we are all in this together. So always cheers to a bottoms up and chase with a poutine. Because that's what real foodies do. HAH.

These chickens are LOADED. You can definitely taste the alcohol marinade in this chicken. These were free range chickens. The meat is much more tender and juicy. Their pickled jalapeno was banging. Be careful, I rubbed my face a few times like an idiot. My face was burning from different parts since I kept forgetting. Hand washing doesn't help after the damage is done. I loved the heat though. I'm just weird like that.

I for some reason left with a new nickname, Daisy the tank. Don't ask. Maybe you will find out if we are ever to dine... and drink together.

Happy Eating

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Thrive Cocktail Party

November 4, 2015

First of all, everyone needs to get a bottle of Thrive Algae oil. Everything that you see tonight was cooked or prepared with the oil.

I had the pleasure of attending another Algae Oil even at the Thrive House. This time, it was a cocktail party. From my last experience, I was able to sample many dishes that were cooked with Thrive's Algae Oil. This time, I was able to bring some friends with me to mingle, and for them to try how awesome Algae oil is.

Of course I was drawn to where the drinks were. But, they had an amazing cocktail served tonight.

This was an avocado drink! The cocktail consisted of white rum, avocado, agave, fresh lime juice, and a touch of sea salt. I loved the lime, a lot. It actually made the drink itself taste like kiwi. It was extremely fresh, so easy to drink, and it actually tasted like a smoothie. The salt also complimented the avocado throughout the drink. I mean if you think about it, it totally makes since. I normally eat my avocados with a dash of salt. Thrive wanted to promote the good fat in the avocado, so what better way to do that than in a cocktail. Now... they need to bottle this and sell it in stores.

These little corners were delicious. I believed they had a togarashi dressing they drizzled on because I tasted that slight hint of heat. I'm not complaining since I love spicy foods. The avocado were really creamy. The toast they used had seeds which gave it a good contrast with the avocado. The avocado had a consistency of mouse, so a crunchy toast with texture worked really well.

Roasted Grapes - Chevre - Prosciutto - Crostini

Yes these babies were back tonight with Prosciutto vengeance. I'm telling you. Best cocktail party appetizer for the year! The prosciutto was nice and smokey, and almost had this roast duck crackling flavor which I LOVE. This is definitely going to be something you will see me make with Thrive algae oil during the holidays.

First of all, I thought the tofu was chicken. These were so adorable! So adorable I had 5. My friend Tamara were eyeing these the whole night, but the cocktail servers knew to bring them our way when they were ready. All the flavors complimented each other so well. I loved the simple spice rub that was put on the chicken. The tofu was sauteed in Algae oil, which again I was not able to taste. It's a great way to incorporate your ingredients without feeling like your oil is going to take over the dish.

These, I don't remember how many I had. My friend Frances definitely chowed on a few (believed these were her favorites). Ok these were also pretty freaking amazing as well. I'm really excited to experiment with the oil, and see how well it sears. By the looks, and taste of this fritter, I can let you know that It was crispy all around. And another one of those easy dishes to make at your holiday party.

Rosemary Nut Mix with Almonds, Pistachios, Pecans and Peanuts with Rosemary infused Thrive Algae Oil.

Fellas, these are your ultimate beer nuts. And ladies, you will drop jaws if you made this. I can't tell you how many handfuls we had, but you can really taste the velvety texture from the oil (SO GOOD). Thrive should create "Thrive Nuts". That sounds catchy doesn't it? I'm like, anticipating and hoping there will be a THRIVE SNACK STORE online. Just imagine how much great things that can happen? Everything had been fantastic we just wanted to have everything in containers!

Lemongrass Prawn - cucumber - carrots- pea shoot - rice paper wrap

I'm starting to realize that I actually ate a lot at thise vent. I think I had 5 of these as well if not more. Maybe I'm crazy, but I thought there was ginger in this. The oil was used to cook the prawn as well as the prepared dipping sauce for it. Spring roll wraps... let me take notes to make that during the holidays.

This was one of the funnest veggie platters I've had. They almost made a balsamic vinaigrette with the Algae Oil. I was so surprised with the consistency the dressing came out. It was a little thick in the best way to stick to the vegetables. Another holiday item this year. It's so simple, but I am really stoked about this one.

From Avocado cocktails, to wine, to beer. Why not right? Beer and BEER NUTS. So perfect.

Chicken cooked perfectly with a nice sear, paired with a roasted pepper dipping sauce. The sauce was also made with Thrive Algae Oil. The oil goes great into preparing sauces since the flavors are not over powering.

Chef Caroline Fey is AMAZING. From the first coursed dinner I had with her preparations were beyond my expectations. This cocktail party was fantastic as well. There wasn't really one dish that stood out over the other. All the items served that night were fun and simple yet innovative. What I also loved, again, is how I could not taste the oil in the foods that were made. You just don't think about it. A lot of people probably perceive the oil to be oceanic of some sort, but it really isn't. Also, the chef was able to speak with us as she was preparing the meals. She was able to tell us why she loves the product and how great it was to use the oil in the dishes that were served that night. Thank you Chef for an amazing meal!

The day after the rain is always the most beautiful. The air was crispy, clear, and cold. The first cold weather in Los Angeles to be shared with Thrive. Is it winter yet? It sure feels like it. But, if you are curious about Thrive, feel free to check out their website here: http://www.thrivealgae.com/

They sell their oils online, and currently only, exclusively, at your local Los Angeles Gelson's. I believe that this oil will help a lot of families. Don't forget that 1 tablespoon equals 1 avocado. You get all the good stuff in 1 tablespoon. Honestly, you can't beat that.

Stay tuned for food dishes that I am planning on creating.

Happy Holidays!

Daisy

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Wine & Dine

Magnolia House - Pasadena

Claudine - Encino

The Factory Kitchen - DTLA

A few cocktails

Biergarten - Korea Town - Los Angeles

Thrive Cocktail Party